In September of 1977, I spotted an interesting issue of Batman. The
cover showed what appeared to be Batman’s tombstone. It was surrounded by arch
enemies The Riddler,
Poison Ivy,
Scarecrow,
Lex Luthor,
Catwoman, and
The Joker. Four of the criminals were claiming responsibility for the death of the
Caped Crusader. I immediately ran to get my mother and ask her for 35 cents –
yeah, that’s right, comic books back then were a mere 35 cents – and marched
proudly out of the store with Issue # 291 of Batman. The series,
entitled Where Were You On The Night Batman Was Killed?, ran for four
issues in 1977. Each issue featured a different enemy laying claim to being the
individual responsible for the death of Batman, hoping to reap the benefits that
the criminal world would offer that criminal for vanquishing the most
challenging adversary the criminal underground had ever gone up against.

Unfortunately, the store where I bought the
original issue of the series, featuring Catwoman’s version of Batman’s death,
did not carry every issue of the series. I was unable to read the series as a
whole, but the story was one that stood out for me all these years. It was a
tale that made me a Batman comic book fan and one that I would talk about
to any Batman fan who would listen. In fact, I still talk about it,
which is why I decided to take a look on eBay to see if I couldn’t find the rest
of the series. Sure enough, I was able to find each of the missing issues for
very reasonable prices. Having now completed the four-issue story arc, I would
like to share it with you.

No one knows how it started, but once the word
was out, it spread like wildfire – the dreaded Batman was dead! The question
was who managed to outsmart and outfight the caped crusader who had been the
nemesis of every criminal mind in the United States? Hundreds of criminals lay
claim to the murder, hoping to reap the spoils promised the victor. The
murderer of Batman would be the envy of the criminal world. Highly revered,
he/she would have first pick of the most brilliant and loyal criminal associates
they could ask for. In an effort to discover the truth behind the Caped
Crusader’s demise, a trial was organized at the secluded
estate of Jake “The
Claw” Van Cleeve. After ruling out hundreds of claims, the trial was set to
discover the truth behind the most credible ones. Judging the trial was Ras Al Ghul. The
jurors consisted of
The Mad Hatter,
The Spook, Poison Ivy, The
Scarecrow, Signal Man and
Mr. Freeze. The
prosecutor was none other than
former District Attorney Harvey Dent, otherwise known as
Two Face.

The first claimant to be interrogated: Selina Kyle, AKA: Catwoman. As we hear
the tale of Catwoman’s alleged part in Batman’s death, we realize that something
is wrong. First and foremost, Selina Kyle has never killed before. Secondly,
the infamous Catwoman is in love with Batman. Harvey Dent very quickly pokes
holes in Catwoman’s story and the jury votes not guilty.

The second
criminal alleging responsibility for Batman’s death is none other than The Riddler. His tale of trickery involving clue-containing
riddles is a
treacherous one indeed, but Harvey Dent sees right through the façade. He even
manages to scare the living daylights out of The Riddler with a presentation as
to why The Riddler’s story couldn’t work. The next criminal to hit the stand is
the scientific mastermind Lex Luthor. With his usual pompous flare, Luthor
relates his complicated scheme to destroy his arch-nemesis, Superman, by using
the body of Batman. Lex Luthor is found “Not Guilty” after a surprise witness
is called to the stand by Two Face. The final criminal to claim responsibility
for Batman’s death is the one with the most motive – The Joker. The four-comic
story arc ends in a most surprising twist. If you think you know the
ending…well, of course you’re going to say that Batman can’t be dead because
there are so many comic books attesting to the fact that he is still alive. But
there is no way you can figure out all of the surprising twists that make this
story arc a very special one indeed!

Reading this tale again, nearly twenty years
later, it is still an extremely enjoyable story arc. The art is definitely not
up to today’s standards, but for the times, it was considered to be cutting
edge. The idea of a trial being called by the members of the criminal
underworld to discover the identity of Batman’s killer is hysterical. But the
real fun is in trying to unravel the clues that will tell you who is outright
lying and who has something to hide. For me, the Where Were You On The Night
Batman Was Killed? story arc is one of the most memorable tales of the
seventies and the one tale that made me a comic book fan for life.